Union undergarment



L. H. WISE.

umou UNDERGA RMENT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.2?| I919.

1,361,560. Patented Dec. 7, 1920.

I, Eivwwdcoz LEO H. WISE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

UNION UN DERGARMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1920.

Application filed September 27, 1919. Serial No. 326,850.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Lno H. WISE, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New Yorkand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements.in Union Undergarments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in union-suit underwear and hasfor its object to provide an undergarment with an improved constructionand combination of flexible or elastic insert and posterior flap wherebya posterior flap and opening of considerable size may be provided.

My invention contemplates the utilization of an elastic insert as aportion of the posterior flap, the insert being of such con struction asto entirely eliminate all stitching or binding on the fiap edges oracross the elastic inserts, and I therefore leave these inserts free andunrestricted to stretch as fully as they would if unattached, and at thesame time, I avoid the use of a raw or cut edge across the elastic thatwould ravel, sag, or get out of shape.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,-

Figure 1, shows the improved garment in rear view.

Fig. 2, illustrates, on an enlarged scale, a horizontal cross-sectionaldetail through the lapped elastic flap-portions, the section being takenon the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, shows an enlarged vertical sectional detail through the flapparts as the same would appear if out vertically on the line 3-3 of Fig.1.

Fig. 4, illustrates one of the detached elastic-flap insert sections ina fiat condition and prior to its attachment to the garment, and

Fig. 5, shows one of the detached elastic flap insert sections partlyfolded and being made ready for attachment to the garment.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 6, designates the upper or bodyportion of the garment and 7 and 8, the drawer or leg portions of thesame,each drawer portion having a comparatively short and straighthorizontal upper edge 9, that is directly secured to the body portion bystitching 10, and an intermediate curved-edge portion 11, that curvesdownwardly from the straight edge to a vertical median line 12, andwhich is located between the two straight edges 9.

In the present disclosure, the drawer portion-7, has a flap-extension12, secured thereto by a vertical row of stitches 14, on said medianline 12, and this flap-extension projects over and forms an overlappingflap with respect to the portion 8. The drawer portion 8, extends underthe flap 13, and has a straight vertical edge 15, which extends beyondthe median line 12, and may be termed the underlapping flap.

Abutton or equivalent device 16, serves to secure the flap 13, in thelapped condition.

The curved edge-portions 11, of the leg portions form a concave cut-awayalong the upper edge, from the free edges of the two flaps to thestraight stitches edges 9, and in this cut-away I locate my improvedelastic insert strips of a novel construction as will now be explained.

The garment employs two elastic insert strips 17 and 18 respectively,both however of like construction, so that a description of one willsuffice.

These inserts are preferably formed of knit fabric which is commonlyused in garments of this character where it is desired to provideelasticity between two woven fabrics such as the body and drawersportions.

I first cut the knit fabric substantially as shown in Fig. 4, in whichthe insert 19, has a straight upper edge 20, and curved lower edge 21.This curvature on the lower edge however is not at all necessary, andthe strip may be of a rectangular shape to provide upper and loweredges. The strip is then folded at 22, midway between its ends, and thetwo free ends 23, then brought together in close registration, as shownin Figs. 2 and 5 of the drawing. This operation of folding each elasticinsert strip produces a two-ply, or double-thick insert, the folded edge22, of which will be straight up-and-down or vertical and will becomethe free edge, as will presently be seen.

The folded insert is then attached to the garment with its upperstraight edge 20, stitched at 24, to the body 6, and with its lower, andin this instance, curved edge 21, stitched at 25, to the curved edge 11,of the drawers portion.

By reference to Figs. 1, and 2, it will be seen that when the two insertstrips 17 and 18, are attached with their lower edges stitched to thedrawers portions 7 and 8 respectively, and their upper edges stitched tothe edge of the body 6, the folded edges 22, of both strips arevertically disposed on the garment at opposite sides of an imaginarycenter line, or in other words are lapped, and both folded edges areabsolutely unrestricted by bindings or stitches in either a vertical oran inclined direction, and can stretch as far as they would stretch ifdetached, and no raw oigcut edge is exposed. It will also be noted thatthe lower folded edge of the overlapping insert 17 is stitched to theupper edge of the flap-extension and will therefore swing outwardly orinwardly with that flap, and said insert is, for all practical purposes,a continuation of the flap, because it provided a flap-opening all theway to the stitch line 24, along the bottom edge of the body 6.

From the foregoing explanation it will be seen that by folding theinsert strips and attaching their upper and lower edges to the body anddrawers portions respectively, I avoid all stitching and binding, exceptat the attached upper and lower edges, and free and unrestrictedelasticity is maintained between the said upper and lower edges, at thepoint where the greatest stretch takes place, to wit: at the foldededges 22, the insert strips are double-thick and reinforced withoutstitches or bindings of any kind, and obviously I avoid a Vertical rawedge.

In a garment constructed in accordance with my invention an unusuallylong posterior opening is provided because the opening extends all theway from the crotch to the upper part of the elastic insert and thelatter is located high enough up the back to provide the elasticity atthe point where the back-strains take place.

Having described my invention, what I claim is,

1. A union undergarment comprising a body portion and a drawers portionwhich latter has a posterior opening that is closed by lapped flaps; aseparate elastic insert connecting the upper portion of each flap withthe body portion each insert being folded and thereby made double-thickthrough-v latter is provided at the rear with lapped flaps; twoone-piece folded elastic inserts each havingiits two lower edges securedto a flap, its two upper edges secured to the body portion and itsfolded edge free to stretch up and down vertically between the loweredge of the body and the upper edge of the drawers and each insert beingfree to swing with the flap with which it is connected, the folded freevertical edges of the two inserts lapping.

3. A union undergarment comprising a body portion and two leg portionssaid leg portions having lapping flaps at the rear, the body and the legportions at the rear of the garment being directly secured together on ahorizontal line from their side edges for a portion only of their widthand having their intermediate portions separated; two folded one-pieceelastic inserts connecting the separated intermediate portions of thebody and leg portions,the fold of the two inserts being free to stretchand extending.

downwardly from the lower edge of the body portion to the upper edge ofthe drawers.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

LEO H. WISE.

